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FL ... you might be interested....

Posted by kootenay (A) on July 10, 2017 at 13:08:52

with this new technology.

Warm sound: Scientists create commercial 'molecular' product for guitars.

For years, serious guitar players have clung to their tube amplifiers, saying the rich sound is worth the hassle of old-school electronics.

Now, scientists at the University of Alberta have used the latest nanotechnology in a guitar pedal that duplicates that beloved tone without the inconvenience and expense.

"People generally use the word 'warmer,'" said Rick McCreery, a University of Alberta chemistry professor and researcher at Edmonton's National Institute for Nanotechnology.

Most consumer electronics, including non-tube guitar amps, depend on silicon-based devices called transistors or diodes. They work extremely well to help amplify electronic signals accurately and smoothly.

Too accurately, for many finely tuned musical ears. The sound of silicon lacks the rich harmonics and overtones added when a signal goes through a non-linear circuit, such as a tube.

"If you take an ordinary electric guitar and just amplify it, then guitarists would say this is sterile," McCreery said. "Guitarists didn't like the silicon because it was too linear, too accurate. It didn't generate nice harmonics."

Tubes, however, are fragile and expensive to replace.

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